What does Hickory Dickory Dock mean?
A little mouse runs up a tall clock, the clock strikes one o'clock, and the mouse scurries back down. It is a quick, playful rhyme built around the tick-tock of a clock.
What Hickory Dickory Dock teaches
Beyond being fun to sing, this rhyme quietly builds several early skills:
- The idea of a clock and telling time (one o'clock)
- Up and down, a first pair of opposites
- Playful nonsense words (hickory, dickory) for sound play
- A bouncy rhythm like a ticking clock
When your child knows it well, our number flashcards carry the same early skills into playful practice.
Where Hickory Dickory Dock comes from
Hickory Dickory Dock is an English rhyme first printed in 1744. The nonsense opening may come from an old counting chant used in children's games.
Fun activities
- Run your fingers up your child's arm like the mouse, then down again
- Make a tick-tock sound and strike one clap for one o'clock
- Point to a real clock and find the number one
Frequently asked questions
What are the words to Hickory Dickory Dock?
Hickory, dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the mouse ran down, hickory, dickory, dock.
What does Hickory Dickory Dock teach?
It introduces clocks and time in a playful way, practices the opposites up and down, and uses fun nonsense words that help children play with sounds.
Is Hickory Dickory Dock public domain?
Yes. It was first printed in 1744 and is centuries old, so it is free to sing, print and share.